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Filoli Before Spring

I am so fortunate to live in the Bay Area and be able to get over to Filoli once in a while. I realized last fall that I hadn’t been in a couple of years, and was determined to go again soon. I’ve only visited Filoli in the Spring. Not on purpose, simply because of the timing of house guests’ visits and their desire to see the famous house and gardens. I intend to make 2010 my year of Filoli visits and to see it in as many different moments as possible. This last week we were supposed to have rain all week and I waited (not so) patiently for a sunny day…which we enjoyed Monday through Thursday despite the wet forecasts. I gave up my wait on Friday the 12th and drove over to enjoy the first day of accurate forecasting (rain!) with a few other early season visitors. I enjoyed seeing things before everything begins the uber rainbow of Spring at Filoli in full bloom. Despite the rainy day light (and my wet lens and cold hands), I snapped a few photos:

Notice how even in lousy light and with the deciduous woody plants being void of leaves, this garden is photogenic? That it’s simple (especially at this time of year, before the flower riot is in full swing) the plantings are stunning, and how the structure of this garden – the layers and mass of its “bones” – support the flower beds. When looking at the images, did you feel like it was not colorful enough? I didn’t. I love that evergreens and deciduous plants are together to support each other visually. The evergreen plants are also a whole variety of greens – the Olive trees, Boxwood, Yews – all different. The paths are simple, made of modest, honest materials, and support thousands of visitors annually.

Horizontal layers, vertical layers, plant heights and widths, and even the width of paths are all different. In some places, the paths are a scant 18″ wide – enough for one person to walk carefully. In other places, the paths must be 6′ wide or wider, but they’re always appropriate for the space they’re in. What would be appropriate for your garden?

Horticultural side note: These trees and shrubs are cared for and sheared with laser precision which is impressive all by itself, but notably (especially for modern gardeners who don’t get it), the shapes of the hedges are horticulturally correct. They’re wider on the bottom, tapered to a slightly narrower top. This supports the plant’s ability to maintain foliage at the bottom because those lower leaves can get enough light. It also makes the paths comfortable to walk since there isn’t some big thing leaning at you – especially noticeable in the image of that dapper gentleman who is walking away. Those shrubs are huge, but still not uncomfortably imposing thanks to this shape and the proportions of the garden as a whole.

I’m looking forward to going back in a month or even sooner – to see how this garden changes with the addition of hundreds of thousands of blooms. Will it be necessarily better? What do you think?